"This is a very important session and a historic moment because today Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are beginning an even closer cooperation," Kosor said at the start of the session, which was open to public.

"We want to strengthen our economic and cross-border cooperation as well as promote cooperation in science, technology and culture," Kosor said, adding that one should never grow tired of building bridges of friendship between the two countries.

"Croatia has the longest border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the border must not separate us but rather represent a point of contact and exchange of ideas," the Croatian PM said, underlining that Croatia supported a single Bosnia and Herzegovina with three equal constituent peoples.

"The Croatian government strongly supports the Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina as one of the country's constituent peoples, and the Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina can additionally contribute to building strong bridges of cooperation between the two countries," said Kosor.

She said that at her talks with US President Barack Obama she had asked for Bosnia and Herzegovina to be given a NATO Membership Action Plan and that she was glad to have been able to help Bosnia in that regard too.

She added that Croatian authorities had given Bosnian authorities free of charge 100,000 pages of EU legislation translated into Croatian.

Kosor said Split was chosen to host the first joint session of the two governments because of "its historical connotations for Croatia-Bosnia relations."

Addressing the session, Bosnia's Council of Ministers Chairman Nikola Spiric thanked Croatia for its support to Bosnia and Herzegovina on the path to Euro-Atlantic associations.

"Relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are on the rise," Spiric said, adding that one should use all available resources to develop the friendship between the two countries in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration.

Spiric said that in their bilateral relations, the two countries should first deal with easier issues and then with the more complex ones, underlining the importance of dealing with property-related issues, problems concerning environmental protection, as well as the border issue.

Agreeing with Kosor that borders should bring countries closer rather than separate them, Spiric suggested that the next joint session of the two governments be held in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Before today's joint session of the two governments, it was announced that Croatian and Bosnian government officials would discuss cross-border cooperation in internal affairs, judiciary, transport infrastructure, and environmental protection.

The two governments were also expected to discuss trade and cooperation in tourism and veterinary medicine.

After the session, the two governments were expected to sign documents on the promotion of cooperation.